Roche fosters diversity, equity and inclusion, representing the communities we serve. When dealing with healthcare on a global scale, diversity is an essential ingredient to success. We believe that inclusion is key to understanding people’s varied healthcare needs. Together, we embrace individuality and share a passion for exceptional care. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Roche.

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced professional to join our team as a Senior Administrative Assistant / Event Planner.

Corporate Event Management:

Lead the planning, scheduling, and execution of various and complex events, such as inaugurations, town halls, global leadership team meetings, and other engagement or business events.

Coordinate and manage facilities required for engagement events, including arrangement of cleaning, dining needs (e.g., coffee, tea), and other necessary resources.

Liaise with suppliers and vendors for service contracts, event material procurement, and other necessary engagements.

Create and manage budgets for events, track expenses, and ensure cost-effectiveness.

Address and resolve any issues that may arise during event planning and execution.

Develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal departments and external partners.

Oversee all logistical aspects, such as transportation, accommodation, and on-site event setup and teardown.

Arrange for audiovisual equipment, staging, and other technical requirements needed for the event.

Act as the main point of contact for event stakeholders, including speakers, sponsors, and partners.

Negotiate contracts with vendors, venues, and service providers to secure favorable terms and conditions.

Develop and implement contingency plans to address potential risks and issues that may arise before and during the event.

Conduct post-event evaluations to gather feedback from attendees, vendors, and team members.

Analyze event success metrics, compile evaluation reports, and provide insights for future improvements.

Support occupational health needs, participate in or provide input to the Emergency Committee and SHE (Safety, Health & Environment).

Administrative Support:

Manage calendars, workshops, and events for the organization.

Handle financial support tasks, such as processing purchase orders (POs), invoices, and statements of work.

Plan and schedule diverse types of meetings (e.g., events, offsites, interviews, stakeholder meetups) across multiple time zones for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring high confidentiality.

Provide administrative support for business operations, including financial management processes, onboarding/offboarding activities, relationship management, learning management support, and department organization.

Communication & Collaboration:

Maintain relationships and information flow with the global management team.

Foster a positive and collaborative work environment, ensuring effective teamwork.

Skillfully manage the expectations and needs of internal and external stakeholders.

Operational Efficiency:

Schedule appointments, manage travel itineraries, and coordinate related arrangements.

Prepare and manage expense reports through to settlement.

Attend meetings, record and distribute meeting minutes.

Prepare and analyze complex trends, reports, and presentations using data from various sources.

Assist in preparing budget and project reports as required.

Research, collect, compile, and analyze diverse data and information requests.

Identify bottlenecks in administrative processes and suggest improvements to enhance efficiency.

Quality & Improvement:

Continuously improve quality and objectives.

Manage all purchasing activities from order to execution of POs in the system.

Review invoices to ensure charges are accurate before entering them into the system.

Actively seek feedback from stakeholders on administrative processes and events, implementing changes to improve service delivery.

Ensure that all activities comply with company policies, industry standards, and legal regulations.

Support Functions:

Offer support and backup to other team members as needed.

Lead and coordinate different team activities and responsibilities.

Coordinate and support facilities management for various needs.

Who you are:

Education and Experience:

College Degree in business administration, public relations, marketing, or communications or relevant years of experience in the area.

Minimum 7 years of experience in corporate event management and administrative support to senior leaders.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Strong organization and planning skills.

Ability to handle multiple functions at one time.

Efficient and effective oral and written communication; including strong English language requirement.

Advanced computer skills.

Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment and employ advanced reasoning skills.

Well-developed analytical and problem-solving skills.

Requires ability to work with highly confidential information.

Knowledge in ticketing tools and internal customer management.

Working experience using collaborative tools such as Google suite.

Advanced communication skills (English/Spanish).

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; sit and to talk, hear or smell. The employee is occasionally required to walk and stoop, or kneel, crouch. The employee must also occasionally lift and/or move up to 5 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made for persons with disabilities - evaluation to determine fitness will be made by company physician(s).

Employee must comply with all applicable safety and security procedures: Determine appropriate action beyond guidelines and report potentially unsafe conditions.

Additional Notes:

Hybrid Mode: The role fundamentally depends on physical presence to support onsite systems, resolve technical issues efficiently, and assist users in real-time. Due to the nature of these responsibilities, work-from-home availability is reduced to ensure that on-site support remains uninterrupted and effective.

Schedule Flexibility: Facilities operate regularly during daytime hours, Monday to Friday. However, flexibility may be required to support activities outside standard working hours, such as night or weekend events, with advance notice. These schedule adjustments are managed to ensure operational needs are met while maintaining an appropriate work-life balance.

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

The Roche Services & Solutions as well as People Support Solutions organisations located in San Jose provide end-to-end business solutions for Finance, Procurement, IT, Communications, People & Culture (Human Resources) and beyond to our Roche colleagues across the Americas region. Today Roche employs altogether around 800 employees in Costa Rica.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.